2018 was a wonderful year for family beach portraits on the Alabama Gulf Coast. These area but a few from last years family sessions in Orange Beach, Perdido Key, Gulf Shores, and Dauphin Island. I can't wait for the 2019 family vacation season and already working on new techniques and getting familiar with new camera gear so this year will be another awesome year!

Family Photographer in Orange Beach | Perdido KeyBrother with his baby sister during a family beach portrait session in Perdido Key, Florida Gulf Shores Family Beach PortraitI try to make family beach sessions fun for the kids. I see so many times parents trying to force smiles that they get fake smiles that do not represent the personalty of their children. When I tell the children to do whatever they want their personalties come through. Gulf Shores Family PhotographerA family reunion at a beach house in Fort Morgan near Gulf Shores, Alabama Gulf Shores Family PortraitA portrait taken on the West end of Gulf Shores Beach during Thanksgiving week. This time of year the sun sets over the water so we get a little different look during family beach portraits in the Fall and Winter. Gulf Shores Multi-Family Beach PortraitThis family beach portrait was for a family reunion at a beach house in Gulf Shores Alabama near Fort Morgan. For large groups like this, especially with children involved I will take multiple pictures so I will have something to work with for the final image. For this portrait I needed three pictures to get this image that had everyone looking. Gulf Shores Windy Day Family Portrait | Island TowersThis was a windy day family portrait taken at the Island Towers penthouse suite in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The winds were really bad due to the approach hurricane Michael. The client said the priority of the shoot was to get everyone together over getting beach portraits. The wind was so bad it was white capping in the swimming pool so there was no way doing the shots on the beach. They were about 30-40 minute drive to any location that may have been protected from the wind and I felt like it wasn't worth the drive. Doing the family portraits inside the condo was plan C. I took my lighting gear and made the condo a studio. The final picture is a combination of three shots as I had to replace faces for some of the subjects. This wasn't an ideal situation and the family was very understanding. The important thing for this shoot was getting everyone together. Perdido Key Family Portrait | Orange Beach PhotographerA family beach portrait taken in Perdido Key, Florida. Gulf Shores Family Portrait PhotographerA little girls portrait taken at a beach house in Gulf Shores among the sea oats and fence. Orange Beach Photographer | Perdido Key Family PortraitThe remnents of Tropical Storm Gordon provided a dramatic and beautiful backdrop for this sibling family beach portrait in Perdido Key, Florida. Family Beach Photography in Gulf ShoresA candid moment during a family session in Gulf Shores as a girl plays hide and seek with her cousins. Perdido Key Family Beach PortraitsA wife helps her husband get closer to the water's edge for a family group portrait. Orange Beach Family PhotographerA family beach portrait taken at the edge of the surf. I tend to save these kind of portraits for last as a reward for the kids. Most children like to be around the water. After I get candid shots of them playing around the water they are typically in good spirits for some quick family group shots. Orange Beach Photographer | Beach Portrait in Perdido KeyA little girl's portrait taken at the beach in Perdido Key, Florida Family Beach Photography in Perdido Key, FloridaA child's portrait taken at the beach in Perdido Key during a family reunion beach vacation Orange Beach Family Portrait PhotographerA family beach portrait that gets photobombed by a great blue heron . Orange Beach Portrait Photographer | Turquoise PlaceA group portrait taken at the Turquoise in Orange Beach of a Mardi Gras society from Louisiana. Gulf Shores Candid Family PhotographyA candid portrait taken in Gulf Shores, Alabama. A rising tide caused a sheen of water over the beach which gives the illusion of running on water. Perdido Key Family PortraitA family portrait in Perdido Key featuring a grandmother and her three granddaughters. It was a windy day for this beach portrait so we had to improvise a bit. By getting down low the sand dunes blocked the wind and gave us a much more manageable situation. Orange Beach Family Photography | Perdido Key PhotographerA family beach portrait taken in Perdido Key, Florida. Hurricane Micheal caused catastrophic damage along the Florida Emerald Coast but spared the Perdido Key area. One of the side effects however are the tidal pools created on the beach from the storm surge. These small tidal pools helped give this family portrait a dramatic look during the twilight hour of this family portrait session. Family Beach Portraits Orange Beach | Perdido KeyThis was taken during a family portrait session in Perdido Key, Florida. Hurricane Michael created tidal pools on the beach and this creates some wonderful opportunities for some abstract portrait work. Dusk Family Beach Portrait in Perdido Key FloridaA family beach portrait taken in Perdido Key, Florida after sunset. This little girl just woke up when we started the session and so was a little tired and not feeling great at the start of the session. At the end of the hour session, we had a great sky after sunset and she got her second wind! Lifetime of Memories Perdido Key PortraitsThe gentleman in this portrait has been having a rough time. His family told me that this may even be the last time they have a family vacation with everyone together. I could tell it was struggle for him to even be with his family during this session. As a result his expressions had tired eyes.
I wanted to give the family a portrait that they could see his spirit.

I tried a few things and they were just okay. I then asked them to just look at each other. What happened next was more than I hoped for. I got a story told by just their reaction to each other. He was telling me they have been looking at each for years. From my perspective it looked like they were looking at a lifetime of memories together. For a brief moment he had a spark in his eyes I was trying to capture. Candid Beach Photography in Perdido KeyAfter the posed shots are done and all the portrait checklist is taken care of, it is time to let the kids just be kids. I like these kind of candid portraits because it lets the children withdraw into their own little world and enjoy the beach on their terms. Orange Beach Candid Beach PortraitLet the kids play! A candid family portrait taken while playing on the beach during a family vacation. Gulf Shores Family Beach PhotographyBrother and sister have fun playing in the sand during a family beach portrait session in Gulf Shores, Alabama near Fort Morgan. Family Beach Photography Gulf ShoresTidal pools on the beach reflect the sky during a family portrait session in Gulf Shores, Alabama Orange Beach Family PortraitsA family portrait taken in Orange Beach, Alabama at Alabama Point East near the Perdido Pass. It was an overcast day which meant it was great for portraits. Using portable studio lights gave the picture a bit of a punch with a dramatic flare. Gulf Shores Family Beach PhotographyA family beach portrait taken at the West of Gulf Shores, Alabama. It was a very bright evening for this family shoot so we had to wait some to get the really good natural light setting. Many people think bright days are good for beach portraits. However, the bright light causes squinty eyes because the beach acts like a reflector. Sometimes it is best to wait to get the best look when it's a sunny day. Family Photographer in Gulf ShoresA portrait of a young boy taken at Gulf Shores West Beach. It was a bright evening during this family session. When it came time for individual portraits of the kids, I picked this spot because of the water in the background and backlighting.

The sun gave a nice halo effect around the subjects but it also made them appear dark if I exposed properly for the background. If I were just a natural light photographer I couldn't get the proper exposure. In this situation I exposed for the background and then used the lights to compensate the lighting saturation for the subject. Candid Gulf Shores Family PhotographyA grandmother plays with her grandson in the surf at Gulf Shores, Alabama during a late December family beach session. Gulf Shores Family Beach PhotographerA large multi-family group shot taken in Gulf Shores, Alabama. It was a little overcast at the time of this portrait so I used my portable studio lights to add a little extra color to the picture. Alabama Beach Family Photographer